CyberSecurity Confabulation

Whether we wish to admit it, the way the internet is used is in the midst of a major morph due to the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is moving to cut off internet access to Ukraine and to limit internet access to its own populace. Ukraine is seeking to limit Russia’s disinformation and ability to conduct commerce. Organizations continue to navigate their way through a world of sanctions and direct government requests to take specific actions

While the situation may appear to be black and white, it is, in reality, several shades of gray and is happening in the midst of the internet’s transition to multistakeholder governance. On March 10, 2022, the internet community issued a paper titled “Multistakeholder Imposition of Internet Sanctions.” This “conversation document,” signed by a plethora of individuals from companies and organizations, posited seven principles:

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Cybersecurity and risk expert David Wilkinson has heard some executives put off discussions about risk acceptance, saying they don’t have any appetite or tolerance for risk.

“But every organization has to have some level of risk acceptance,” says Wilkinson, senior managing partner with The Bellwether Group, a firm providing security and risk services. Otherwise, they’d be unable to function.

Yet there are indicators that many CISOs aren’t having productive conversations around risk acceptance.

According to Gartner research, only 66% of CISOs identified as top performers collaborate with senior business decision-makers to define their organization’s risk appetite. (The number drops to only 37% of CISOs identified by Gartner as “bottom performers.”)

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Ransomware group LAPSUS$ has claimed to have breached the internal systems of cloud-based authentication software provider Okta and has been targeting the data of its customers since January 21, 2022.

The breach was first flagged on Twitter by Bill Demirkapi, a senior security engineer at video conferencing company Zoom, at 8:15pm Pacific Time on Monday night.

According to the LAPSUS$ screenshots, taken from the secure messaging service Telegram and posted online by Demirkapi and others, the ransomware group said it did not target Okta's databases, instead focusing on Okta customers. It also showed possible superuser access, and screenshots of Okta's internal Jira and Slack instances.

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Five new security weaknesses have been disclosed in Dell BIOS that, if successfully exploited, could lead to code execution on vulnerable systems, joining the likes of firmware vulnerabilities recently uncovered in Insyde Software's InsydeH2O and HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). Tracked as CVE-2022-24415, CVE-2022-24416, CVE-2022-24419, CVE-2022-24420, and CVE-2022-24421, the

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CynergisTek (NYSE AMERICAN: CTEK), leading cybersecurity, privacy, compliance, and IT audit firm helping organizations in highly regulated industries navigate emerging security and privacy issues, today announced that management will host a conference call at 4:30 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, March 24, 2022, to discuss fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 financial results. The results will be released prior to the call.

Date: Thursday, March 24, 2022

Time: 4:30 pm ET / 1:30 pm PT

U.S.: 1-888-256-1007

International: 1-786-789-4783

Conference ID: 1507111

Webcast: https://themediaframe.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=E6g5IJjw

A replay of the call will be available from 7:30 PM ET on March 24, 2022 to 11:59 PM ET on March 31, 2022. To access the replay, please dial 1-844-512-2921 from the U.S. and 1-412-317-6671 from outside the U.S. The PIN is 1507111.

About CynergisTek, Inc.

CynergisTek (www.cynergistek.com), is a top-ranked cybersecurity consulting firm helping organizations in highly-regulated industries, including those in healthcare, government, and finance navigate emerging security and privacy issues. CynergisTek combines intelligence, expertise, and a distinct methodology to validate a company’s security posture and ensure the team is rehearsed, prepared, and resilient against threats. Since 2004, CynergisTek has been dedicated to hiring and retaining experts who bring real-life experience and hold advanced certifications to support and educate the industry by contributing to relevant industry associations. For more information, visit www.cynergistek.com or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of CynergisTek, Inc. These forward-looking statements are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “would,” “could,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to uncertainties relating to product/services development; long and uncertain sales cycles; the ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; future capital requirements; competition from other providers; the ability of the Company’s vendors to continue supplying the Company with supplies and services at comparable terms and prices; the Company’s ability to successfully compete and introduce enhancements and new features that achieve market acceptance and that keep pace with technological developments; the Company’s ability to maintain its brand and reputation and retain or replace its significant customers; cybersecurity risks and risks of damage and interruptions of information technology systems; the Company’s ability to retain key members of management and successfully integrate new executives; the Company’s ability to complete acquisitions, strategic investments, entry into new lines of business, divestitures, mergers or other transactions on acceptable terms, or at all; potential risks and uncertainties relating to the existing and ultimate impact of COVID-19, including the geographic spread, the severity of the virus, the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the COVID-19 outbreak or to treat its impact, and the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and financial markets, and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in the Company’s Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Given the risks and uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should recognize that the statements are predictions of future results which may not occur as anticipated. Many of the risks listed above have been, and may further be, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on the healthcare industry. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and from historical results, due to the risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as others not now anticipated. CynergisTek is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Techstars, a global investment business that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, and customized programming for early-stage entrepreneurs, and Protocol Labs, creator of the Filecoin and IPFS decentralized storage protocols, today announced the inaugural class of the Filecoin Techstars Accelerator. This selective accelerator has accepted 12 startups who are building on top of the Filecoin and IPFS protocols to participate in a 13-week intensive program which will provide hands-on mentorship, curated entrepreneurial content and programming, up to $120K in funding, and access to Techstars’ network of mentors, investors, alumni and corporate partners. The program, based at Techstars’ Seattle facility in Startup Hall on the University of Washington campus, will operate on a virtual and in-person hybrid basis.

The 12 companies participating in the program include:

• Bailport – A multi-currency e-wallet using blockchain to facilitate low-cost payments to Africa.
• Ecko – Ecko is a collaboration and fan engagement platform that enables artists to easily plan, create, and promote remarkable NFT campaigns.
• FunctionLand – Creating the first Blockchain Attached Storage (BAS) hardware, Box and Fula Protocol to incentivize users and developers creating a free and secure internet for everyone.
• Haiphen – Block-chain enabled threat detection for enterprise cybersecurity.
• MerkleBot – Trustless robotics data-capture infrastructure unlocking new business models and compliance frameworks for robotics and industrial machinery.
• MetaPals – Virtual companions that love to grow, and you’ll grow to love.
• Mint State Labs – Mint State Labs is an entertainment and gaming technology provider that helps creators easily build, distribute, and market blockchain powered experiences.
• Peeranha – Decentralized question & answer platform that rewards users for their contributions in crypto.
• The Bloop Browser – Web3 browser that uncovers and visually displays paths across the web for internet users to share with their community.
• SharpShark – Copyright issuance and protection platform that seamlessly certifies and protects content originality.
• StaTwig – Supply chain visibility solution that allows you to tokenize and track products in a multi-stakeholder supply chain network.
• TransCrypts – Corporate data verification platform that automates the issuance of employment and income verification documents and ensures a source of truth with the blockchain.

Juan Benet, CEO and Founder of Protocol Labs, stated, “Techstars and Filecoin are catalyzing a new generation of blockchain companies. We are so excited to support startups with expertise, networks, and vast decentralized storage.”

Over the course of the 3-month program founders will have access to a world-class mentor pool of serial entrepreneurs, subject matter experts, and industry experts from Techstars Seattle, as well as crypto-specific mentors from Protocol Labs and the broader Filecoin ecosystem. In addition to Techstars’ traditional curriculum which focuses on entrepreneurial leadership, fundraising, customer discovery and go-to-market strategy, the program will offer workshops and discussions on crypto-related themes including tokenomics and tokenization, community development, crypto-specific compliance and legal topics, and blockchain product development.

“We are thrilled to welcome this group of impressive and ambitious founders to the Techstars family, in partnership with Protocol Labs, sponsors of this program,” said Isaac Kato, managing director of the Filecoin Techstars Accelerator and the Techstars Seattle Accelerator. “They are solving some of the hardest and most interesting real- world challenges faced by enterprises and consumers, by taking advantage of the decentralized infrastructures of Filecoin and IPFS. The new incentive structures, business models, and financing mechanisms that the blockchain enables affords these startups with remarkable new pathways to entrepreneurial success.”

About Techstars

The Techstars worldwide network helps entrepreneurs succeed. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas—entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to enable every person on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from, the success of entrepreneurs. In addition to operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, we do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. Techstars has invested in more than 2,900 companies with a combined market cap of more than $179B. www.techstars.com

About Protocol Labs

Protocol Labs is an open-source research, development, and deployment laboratory. Our projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. We aim to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. We are a fully distributed company. Our team of more than 100 members works remotely and in the open to improve the internet — humanity’s most important technology — as we explore new advances in computing and related fields.

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The latest three memory corruption flaws in Dell BIOS highlights the challenges of fixing firmware vulnerabilities.

A threat group combines the use of steganography, open source tools, and Python scripts to target organizations in France.

Strong demand for application security that supports DevSecOps initiatives drives investment from Koch Disruptive Technologies and New Enterprise Associates.